Football is super, but for how long?

The National Football League’s 47th annual Super Bowl will be played Sunday and if you believe everything you read and hear, enjoy the game of football while you can because there are changes ahead.

Ten years from now you may not even recognize the game, some observers say. Even players have groused that rules regarding hits are so drastically changing that the game won’t even exist by say, the 65th Super Bowl.

That may be exaggerated, but it’s obvious the game is evolving. The next thing to go may be kickoffs, an idea that’s been floated out there by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The reason for all this concern is several thousand lawsuits that have been filed against the NFL by ex-players and their families, alleging the league, which conducted its own tests on brain injuries, acted like tobacco companies and did not adequately warn them of the consequences of repeated blows to the head.

What happens to those lawsuits is anyone’s guess. One outcome could be a huge settlement, along with changes to the game that could diminish interest. And to the estimated 130 million people who will watch the Super Bowl on Sunday that would be a shame.

What happens at the pro level also trickles down to football in these parts, which means high school and Pop Warner. And people connected to those levels are very much aware of the spotlight that’s shining on the sport.

“The game will keep changing and I hope it will get better,” said Coley Candaele, who has coached the highly successful Vista Murrieta High School football program for about the last decade. “It’ll have to get better because humans are getting better. Kids playing football now are bigger and stronger than ever. Technology has lagged behind that growth and it has to improve along with the game.”

Candaele said concussions on the high school level are few, and cyclical. This last season, he had only one at Vista Murrieta, but there have been more in past years, he said. For a program that attracts as many as 350 boys, it’s a good ratio and may speak well for how the athletes are coached and the equipment they wear.

“There are risks you take in football and players get hurt,” Candaele said. “The game is safe on the high school level, but that all depends on what you consider safe. There are also risks in driving home from practice. Does that mean we should outlaw the car?”

For kids in elementary school, Pop Warner football is an introduction and the important first impression of the game. Tim Arnzen, whose Temecula Pop Warner League, attracts nearly 400 youngsters, said coaches are expected to complete a course on player safety that includes recognizing the signs of a concussion.

“There’s been more emphasis on trying to reduce the chance of concussions,” said Arnzen, who presides over the league. “In Pop Warner, you don’t see that many because the players don’t build up enough speed to really hurt each other badly.”

Still, it can happen. Arnzen’s own son suffered a concussion at a youth football summer camp a few years ago, and as a parent it’s made him more cautious. And as the league’s equipment manager the last few years, he has personally fitted each player with what he considers a proper helmet.

“Last year our enrollment was down, but it may have had more to do with the economy than parents being worried about injuries,” Arnzen said. “It costs a lot of money to play football, and with contact sports kids often drop out after the first few weeks when they realize it isn’t for them.”

For anyone interested in learning more about the future of football, I encourage you to visit www.grantland.com/ where some very provocative articles were published a year ago.

In the meantime, enjoy Sunday’s contest. It should be a good one. I covered pro football for about five years and despite seeing the violence and pain inflicted, I still think it’s interesting to see what these men can do with their bodies with so much on the line.

The question is, how much longer can it last?

If you know of someone who would be interesting to feature in a column, call Jim Rothgeb at (951) 676-4315, ext. 2621, or email jim.rothgeb@californian.com.